Railway road-bed.



No. 761,185. PATENTED MAY 31, 1904.

J. L. SILSBEB.

RAILWAY ROAD BED.

APPLICATION FILED OUT. 9, 1903. N0 MODEL.

J 171] b J f a] f I v I a Patented May 31, 1904' V UNIT D STATES PAT NT JOSEPH LYMAN sI sB E, or crnoAeo, ILLINOIS.- I V RAILWAY ROAD-BED;

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 761,185, da ed'May 31, .1904.

Application filed OOtObel 9, 1903,.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH LYMAN SILSBEE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway Road-Beds, of which. the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of roadbeds which are adapted to be used for the purpose of supporting railway-tracks in position, and particularly to the means .by which the road-bed is protected from seepage and washouts, all of which will more fully hereinafter appear. 1

The principal object of the invention is to provide asimple, economical, and efiicient railway road-bed.

Other and further objects of the invention will appear from an examination of the drawings and the following description and claims.

The invention consists principally in a roadbed for railways in which there are combined a foundation portion formed of earth or similar material, a coating of tar or asphalt therefor, railway ties or sleepers laid thereon, and tracks secured to such tie portions.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows a railway road-bed provided with a filling and constructed in accordance with these improvements; Fig. 2, a railway road bed made through a cut and as it appears when constructed in accordance with these improvements; Fig. 3, a modification of Fig. 1 in which the ties or sleepers are partially embedded in the road-bed; and Fig. 4, a m9dification of Fig. 2 with only a portion of the inclined sides of the cut coated, as will be more fully hereinafter described.

In the art to which this invention relates it is well known that it is very desirable to so construct a road-bed for railways that it will be comparatively freefrom dust during the dry season and protected from washouts and seepage during wet seasons. To accomplish this result is the principal object of my in- Vention.

In constructing a road-bed for railways in accordance with these improvements and first describing Fig. 1 a filling a is made of the desired height to obtain the required grade.

Serial No. 176,385. (No model.)

This filling is made of earth or similar material, as is usual, dumped, trimmed, and graded. To protect the filling, or, in other words, roadbed, from seepage during .the wet seasons and from washouts during heavy rains, I provide it with a coating of tar ,6, preferably a coating of tarmixed with fine gravel or sand at the time of spreading it upon the foundation. Whenthis coating hardens, I lay the ties or sleepers c transversely thereon and at the desired distance apart. To these ties or sleepers are secured the usual railway-rails d in any usual or desired manner. In order to hold the ties more firmly in place, ballast material ein the shape of crushed stone or similar material is provided and laid upon the coated foundation, so as to entirely fill the space between the ties or sleepers and in some cases entirely cover them, all of which permits the dust to be washed out and at the same time allows the atmosphere to percolate to all portions thereof.

In Fig. 2 I have shown my improvements as applied to a road-bed a made through a cut, in which the sides instead of inclining downwardly and outwardly incline, as shown at f, upwardly and outwardly. In all other respects the road-bed is constructed similar to that shownand described in connection with Fig. 1..

In Fig. 3 I have shown a modification of Fig. 1, in which the railway ties or sleepers c are the inclined sides or the major portion there-- of as provided with two sets of gutters on the inclined portions and Z. All of these gutters are provided with a coating formed of tar and gravel, which not only assists in draining, but prevents seepage of the gutters and the de- The double form of gutstruction thereof.

. partially embedded in a coated foundation, so

ters provides for the carrying of an unusually large quantity of water during their draining operations, and consequently would often act to save the road -bed or portions thereof from being injured or destroyed, all of which will be understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art.

I claim- 1. In a railway road-bed, the combination of a foundation portion formed of earth or similar material, a coating of tar or asphalt therefor, railway ties or sleepers laid thereon, and tracks secured to such tie portions, substantially as described.

2. In a railway road-bed, the combination of a foundation portion formed of earth or similar material, a coating of tar or similar material laid thereon, railway ties or sleepers laid upon such coated foundation, ballast material, such as crushed stone, filling the spaces between the ties and laid upon the coated foundation, and tracks laid upon and secured to such tie portions, substantially as described.

3. In a railway road-bed, the combination of a ioundation portion formed of earth or similar material, a coating of tar and tar-coated gravel laid thereon, railway ties or sleepers laid upon such coated foundation, ballast material, such as crushed stone, laid upon such coated foundation in the spaces between the ties or sleepers, and railway-tracks laid upon and se-,

JOSEPH LYMAN SILSBEE.

Witnesses: I

THOMAS FRANCIS SHERIDAN, ANNIE C. GOURTENAY.

. M. M. ni MM. .A. 

